Tsvangirai
thanks SADC

Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has heaped praise on the Southern African
Development (SADC) and its mediator in the Zimbabwe crisis, South African
President Jacob Zuma, for showing patience in trying to find a lasting
solution to the political stalemate in Harare.

Tsvangirai told
delegates to the launch of a panel of elders on Friday in Harare that SADC
and Zuma have remained patient despite provocations by Zanu-PF spin doctors
and other hardliners intent on torpedoing the inclusive
government.

Zuma and SADC have since the March Troika summit in
Livingstone, Zambia, come under fire from Zanu-PF functionaries, after it
was recommended that the Global Political Agreement should be fully
implemented.

The meeting also called for an end to state-sponsored
political violence and creation of an election road map, demands the Zanu-PF
has refused to meet.

The party's officials have cast aspersions on Zuma's
adviser, Lindiwe Zulu, in the state media, with calls for her to be removed
from Zuma's facilitation team as she is seen to be "parroting" MDC views
after she said Zimbabwe was not ready for elections this year.

But
despite the attacks on Zuma and SADC's role, Tsvangirai said he was grateful
for their intervention. "I wish to thank SADC and the facilitator, President
Jacob Zuma, for their patience and hard work.

"Despite unnecessary
provocation, they have retained their firm and unwavering commitment to the
crafting of a road map to ensure a peaceful electoral environment that will
not breed another contested outcome."

Zanu-PF has been pushing for
harmonised polls with or without a new constitution, against the advice of
SADC and the other two partners in the inclusive
government.

Tsvangirai also took a swipe at top military officials said
to be demanding elections this year. He said Zimbabwe's situation was being
compounded by the war psychosis - the constant reference to Chimurenga and
the war talk associated with it.

"It puts the country in an
unnecessary war mode because any war environment necessitates the suspension
of the constitution and the undermining of the civilian authority. We cannot
have peace unless all these issues have been dealt with. Statements by
service chiefs that they will not respect the people's will only serve to
confirm the uniqueness of our situation and the importance of vaccinating
state organs from acting like political entities," he said.

Constitution
process hit by new cash crisis

The Constitution
Select Committee (Copac) has lurched into a fresh crisis after a public
relations company, Glomedia, hauled the organisation and its joint
chairpersons to court, demanding more than $200000.

The summons demands payment of
$202101.28 for carrying out media and public relations exercises for the
constitution-making body between June 2009 and November
2010.

Glomedia, which was appointed as Copac's sole media and public
relations consultant for the constitution-making process, is claiming
$194101.64 for unpaid retainer fees and fees for media and public relations
services, $6000 in unpaid retainer fees due since January 2011 and interest
on the debt.

Glomedia's lawyers, of Muzondo and Chinhema law firm, says
the public relations company entered into a formal and written agreement
with Copac in December 2009 to render advice on media and information
related matters, creating and proposing media and information concepts and
creating media products and other consumables.

Glomedia says despite
having used its services and immensely benefitting from its work, Copac has
"notwithstanding demand failed, neglected or refused to pay the services
provided in terms of the agreed contract".

"In the mutual interest,
plaintiff (Glomedia) has for a long time been unprepared to resort to
litigation to recover the outstanding fees, but the defendants' erratic and
intransigent behaviour have left it with no choice but to rely on the
present proceedings to protect its rights," reads part of Glomedia's
declaration, which was seen by the Sunday Times.

Glomedia says it has
been the sole author of all the media, information and public relations
concepts and products used by Copac during the ongoing chaotic
constitution-making process.

These include several audio and video
jingles in the country's main languages which have been aired on the
country's state-run broadcaster, Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, and
radio and television spot advertisements in all official
languages.

Copac member Jessie Majome, who is responsible for legal
affairs, confirmed receiving the summons from Glomedia, which the
constitution-making body is opposing.

"We do confirm that they are
suing Copac. They are entitled to use the law to obtain recourse. We were
surprised that Glomedia started by suing without giving us a letter. Our
legal practitioners are representing and defending Copac," said Majome, a
lawyer by profession.

Load
shedding due to lack of funds -Zesa

Longer power cuts have become the order of the day in winter at a
time when the national power utility Zesa is importing less electricity from
the Democratic Republic of Congo.

With the encroaching winter the
demand for electricity will go up on the home, farming and industrial
front.

But Zesa has increased its load shedding too, because it is
failing to import adequate power.

"We are unfortunately importing
less electricity at a time when the demand is high. This is because we do
not have enough money," said Zesa's public relations manager Fulhard
Gwasira.

The power utility is owed more than US$450-million in unpaid
bills, and its power stations are not operating at full
capacity.

"There is no alternative for load shedding at this point. We
are not generating enough electricity. Zimbabwe needs 2 200 megawatts a day
and right now we are generating 1 300 megawatts. If people pay their bills
we might be able to import more electricity," Gwasira said.

Wheat
farmers are also expecting a constant supply of electricity, and without it
the winter crop is doomed.

Farmers raised concerns that if they failed to
get a constant supply of power they would abandon their projects.

In
a bid to avert such a scenario Zesa has come up with a timetable for
farmers.

"We have allocated 162 megawatts three days per week for the
farmers. We have grouped them according to their geographical clusters in
the interest of food security and the economy. It is not enough but it will
at least get us somewhere," Gwasira said.

Investing in a generator
for city dwellers and businesses has become a must.

In urban areas, such
as the two big cities Harare and Bulawayo, power cuts are even done during
the day, making it difficult for small businesses. Restaurants, cafes,
computer shops and just about anyone who needs electricity to conduct
business are now buying generators as power backup in case of
blackouts.

"Without a generator what I store in my refrigerator would go
bad and that would affect my business," said Dumisani Kodzayi, who runs a
chain of restaurants in Bulawayo.

At times the big cities are plunged
into darkness at night and night clubs have also invested in generators to
stay in business.

Winter
wheat producer prices to be announced soon

Winter wheat producer prices should be announced well ahead of the
planting season and attract farmers to plant the crop, Matabeleland South
Agritex provincial officer Innocent Nyathi has said.

Nyathi said
farmers needed to be persuaded to plant wheat as in previous years the crop
had become expensive to produce because government offered low producer
prices.

This follows revelations that some farmers in Matabeleland had
pulled out of winter wheat farming, citing poor yield, Grain Marketing Board
(GMB) inputs, water and power cut challenges.

The target hectares of
wheat to be planted in Matabeleland South were pegged at 2032 hectares,
while 1205ha was set for Matabeleland North.

He said only 19% of farmers
in his province had started planting and had completed planting on 281ha of
land.

"Producer prices should be announced before the season so as to
attract farmers' participation in the programme. Farmers' reluctance to
plant the crop stems from the fear that their efforts, which are
characterised by many challenges, such as power and water cuts, would not be
properly rewarded. They believe that producer prices would be low," said
Nyathi.

He said farmers' reluctance was heightened by the GMB's tendency
to pay them late for their produce.

"It has become hard for us to
persuade farmers to partake in the planting programme as over the years they
have said they feel short-changed as the GMB delayed in paying for wheat
delivered," said Nyathi.

The government has set this year's winter wheat
target at between 40000 to 45000 hectares. However, obstacles such as power
cuts and unavailability of farming implements pose a threat to the
target.

Analysts contend that a low hectarage of wheat would mean that
government would have to commit more funds for importing the grain.

Industry wobbles in
Zimbabwe's second city

Ravens squawk from the rooftop of a deserted building, once
a top producer of animal feed that employed hundreds in Zimbabwe's second
city of Bulawayo.

Empty factories are now a common sight in Bulawayo's
industrial district as the economy struggles to recover from a decade-long
crisis, with firms downsizing, closing or relocating to the capital for
better opportunities.

"A banker openly told us
that if they receive a loan application to fund a restaurant business from
Bulawayo, they would not fund it.

"In Bulawayo, there are no prospects of
having the project breaking even fast enough, when compared to other towns
such as Mutare or Harare," she said.

Planning ministry figures show
that 87 companies closed in Bulawayo last year, including clothing, auto and
construction firms. An unspecified number of others relocated to
neighbouring Botswana.

"Bulawayo today is a national crisis, a national
crisis that manifests itself in the closure of companies resulting in
poverty, high unemployment and low economic activity," Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai told a recent rally in the southern city.

Besides the lack
of cash, Bulawayo suffers from perennial water shortages common to arid
southern Zimbabwe.

"The problem with Bulawayo, besides the issues of
water, is that there is no money circulating here," Labode
said.

Zimbabwe Stock Exchange-listed Apex Corporation said it plans
to dispose of its loss-making All Metal Foundry in Bulawayo, putting 200
jobs at risk, its chairperson said.

"We have decided to sell because
its long-term viability is questionable," said company chairperson Farai
Rwodzi.

"Although the gold mining sector, which uses the foundry is
recovering, the technology at the company is old and unviable. That is why
we are selling."

Zimbabwe's economy has begun recovering since the
government abandoned the worthless local currency two years ago, allowing
trade in US dollars and other major foreign currencies.

But most
companies still operate at less than half their capacity due to funding
woes, according to the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries.

Bulawayo
mayor Thaba Moyo said he hopes to attract investors back to Bulawayo, partly
by trying to win over Zimbabweans who have moved abroad.

"Our aim is to
reclaim our spot as an industrial hub of Zimbabwe," he said. "We have to
find new investors, as our economy was being run by big [business] people
but they have left."

Bulawayo needs to "go out, especially to South
Africa, to go and meet our Zimbabweans in the diaspora to try and address
them on the problems we are facing as a city", he said.

"All we have
to do is to get them back so that they take responsibilities and take over
those companies that have either closed down or relocated."

Hundreds of
thousands of people, especially from southern Zimbabwe, have migrated to
South Africa and Botswana in search of greener pastures.

Uncertainty over
new elections tipped for this year has scared off new investors who also
worry about President Robert Mugabe's threats to take over foreign
firms.

But the main issue is finance, with banks only offering 90-day
loans at rates of up to 45%, said economist Eric Bloch.

"Most
businesses are under-capitalised. Those that have relocated, it's because
they have bigger operations in Harare," he said. "For example they have
larger factories there so they are consolidating their operations.

"The
single biggest problem is lack of capital. Companies need long-term
financing instead of the 90-day loans they are being offered," he said. -
AFP

Removing
ghost workers will spur economy - stock brokers

Written by Ngoni
ChanakiraSaturday, 28 May 2011 13:07...More cash needed to kick-start
ailing business sector

HARARE - Removing ghost workers from the civil
service payroll could be one way of improving the moribund economy, top
stockbroking firm Imara Edwards Securities has said.In an analysis of
the economy distributed to international investors, Imara Edwards says the
"fiscal gap" is a result of wage bill overruns and a large stock of
outstanding domestic payments arrears accumulated by the end of
2010."However, the gap could be reduced by the removal of ghost workers,
controls on employment levels and a reduction in low-priority transfers to
State-owned enterprises," said the firm."That said, the bottom line is
that there is plenty of potential for economic growth to be maintained at a
high pace in the near term, and it could accelerate further if the reform
process deepens."Zimbabwe is believed to have an unemployment rate of more
than 80 percent despite the fact that industrial production has improved
from about 20 percent to 40 percent, according to the Confederation of
Zimbabwe Industries.Imara, currently led by Tadious Kasaira, says First
Quarter 2011 performance was impacted by limited revenue inflows, subdued
performance for industry, a widening trade deficit and high levels of
unemployment.In an exclusive interview, the Minister of State for Economic
Planning and Investment Promotion, Dr Samuel Undenge, told The Zimbabwean
that "sanctions" were the main hindrance to economic recovery."Sanctions
are killing us," he claimed. "They are on all of us and are not only for the
leaders. There is no money on the market and until the West gives us funding
our economy will continue to be stagnant."However, there are no sanctions
against Zimbabwe – only targeted measures against Zanu (PF) individuals and
related companies responsible for human rights abuses against the people of
Zimbabwe.Analysts say that although per capita Gross Domestic Product is
still very low, the country still enjoys a number of advantages which make
growth likely."There is a very high literacy in Zimbabwe," Imara said.
"There is generous endowment of natural resources, dynamic private sector,
and commodity price rally."The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has
noted that the macro-economic outlook for 2011 in Zimbabwe remains "highly
uncertain" although the short-term growth prospects for mining remain
strong."The impediments to further economic growth include: the likely
substantial fiscal funding gap for 2011, inefficient composition of public
expenditure, financial sector vulnerabilities and weakness in the business
climate worsened by the recently gazetted fast track indigenisation of the
mining sector," Imara said."Nonetheless, a timely addressing of the
policy issues could see the strong growth momentum being sustained. The
fiscal gap is a result of wage bill overruns and a large stock of
outstanding domestic payments arrears accumulated by the end of
2011.”Chamber of Mines of Zimbabwe President, Victor Gapare, says Zimbabwe
will this year produce only nine tonnes of gold, down from more than 13
tonnes produced previously."There is no long-term capital coming into
the mining industry which is hampering progress," Gapare said."We need
between $5 billion and $6 billion during the next five years to get back on
track. I can, however, safely tell you that Gaths Mine has already had a
private placement approved by the market."

Army
general, Nyikayaramba vows not to salute Tsvangirai

HARARE - Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai has said the grim political threats by army generals that they
will never salute anyone without liberation war credentials reinforces his
oft-repeated call for security sector reforms and the need to vaccinate
State organs from acting like political entities.Zimbabwe hangs in
political limbo after members of President Mugabe's security Cabinet, the
Joint Operations Command, threatened this week to block the political
transition if the incumbent veteran President loses the forthcoming
presidential poll.The Commander of 3 Brigade, General Douglas Nyikayaramba
told the financial weekly, the Zimbabwe Independent in remarks published in
a front-page splash of yesterday's edition that he will never salute
Tsvangirai. He is just the latest General to announce to the world that they
would not accept, let alone support or salute, anyone without liberation war
credentials.This statement has been repeated on the eve of every national
election since 2002. Tsvangirai said yesterday at the launch of a Panel of
Elders -- a distinguished panel of Zimbabwean leaders hoping to use their
collective influence to bring political violence to center stage -- that the
army generals' routine election time statement was tantamount to
intimidation.Brig Gen Nyikayaramba said the Generals refuse to countenance
the prospect of Zimbabwe being ruled by a political party other than Zanu PF
– the deliverer of Zimbabwean independence. Drawing from their experience of
fighting in the country's liberation war, some senior army officers see
themselves as the guardians of Zimbabwean independence. Nyikayaramba
insisted elections must happen this year to end the power-sharing government
that has been wrecked by internal wrangling and sharp disagreements on
policy. Tsvangirai, far from facing down the military commanders, said the
threats reinforce his call for security sector reforms. Tsvangirai has
appealed to regional leaders to persuade Mugabe to allow for wide democratic
security sector reforms before elections, but political analysts believe he
will only concede ground if there is threat of regional isolation.The
matter has been set down for discussion at the Heads of State and Government
meeting on the sidelines of the COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite Council and
Summit in South Africa on 12th June."Statements by service chiefs that they
will not respect the expression of the people’s will, as well as statements
in the press today in which a senior army officer is trying to determine the
date of the election, only serve to confirm the uniqueness of our situation
and the importance of vaccinating State organs from acting like political
entities," Tsvangirai said at the launch of the Panel of Elders, headed by
Prof Gordon Chavunduka, at a local hotel yesterday."Unnecessary election
talk leads to dysfunctionality and polarity in the country. It polarizes
Cabinet, Parliament and the security sector and leads to unilateral actions
and selective application of the law."The Generals’ threat to never allow
President Mugabe to cede executive powers to Tsvangirai was an ominous sign.
The MDC leader alleged the generals were imposing a "war psychosis" on the
country."Our current situation is being compounded by the war psychosis -
the constant reference to Chimurenga and the war language associated with
it," Tsvangirai said. "It puts the country into an unnecessary war mode
because any war environment necessitates the suspension of the Constitution
and the undermining of the civilian authority. Thecivilian authority
becomes substituted by partisan organs of the State and the whole country is
thrown into fear and insecurity. We cannot have peace unless all these
issues have been dealt with."The decorated security chiefs are all veterans
of the guerrilla war against supremacist Ian Smith's brutal white rule in
the 1970s that brought Zimbabwe's independence in 1980.Many see their
open support for President Mugabe as a formidable obstacle to Tsvangirai's
bid for the Zimbabwean presidency. The MDC has been unequivocal in
reassuring security forces that they have nothing to fear from a change of
government if they remain "professional".In recent days, Defence Forces
commanders pointedly Brig Gen Nyikaramba and police chief Augustine Chihuri
have issued tough statements ahead of next year's crunch poll backing Mugabe
and denouncing Tsvangirai and his party as "puppets and running dogs" of
Western countries and clearly stated that they will not accept the MDC
leader’s victory.Political analysts say the political transition did not
require the security officials' acquiescence if the people have elected a
leader of their choice even though he could not have liberation war
credentials."The threat is there but that threat is unlawful, that threat is
unconstitutional, that threat is a violation of the GPA, that threatis a
violation of the SADC Treaty, it is a violation of the AU Constitutive
Charter, it is a violation of the United Nations Charter,it is a
violation of the Unilateral Declaration for Human Rights, it is a violation
of all norms of civilized governance," politicalanalyst Pedzisai Ruhanya
said. "Nyikayaramba must appreciate the consequences of such violations. He
will be a war criminal."A desperate MDC has tried to buy off the Generals
without success. The MDC in 2009 requested the US government to provide a
'Trust Fund' to sweeten retirement packages for the army generals to ease
them out of office. The US refused to fund that.The extraordinary plea
was allegedly made by MDC deputy treasurer-general Elton Mangoma in an
October 29, 2009 meeting with political and economic affairs chief at the US
embassy Katherine Dhanani, according to a memo drawn up by American
officials which was obtained by the secrets-spilling WikiLeaks
website."According to Elton Mangoma, (then) MDC-T minister of Economic
Development and member of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's inner circle,
the MDC would like the U.S. to contribute to a 'trust fund' to buy off
securocrats and move them into retirement," says the US cable.The cable
further said Mangoma, one of Tsvangirai's closest advisors and one of the
MDC-T negotiators of the Global Political Agreement (GPA), reiterated
Tsvangirai's views that a primary obstacle to political progress and reform
was the service chiefs."Unlike many Zanu-PF insiders who had stolen and
invested wisely, these individuals had not become wealthy," the US cable
wired to Washington says. "They feared economic pressures, as well as
prosecution for their misdeeds, should political change result in their
being forced from office. Therefore, they were resisting GPA progress that
couldultimately result in fair elections. Mangoma asked for consideration of
U.S. contribution to a ‘trust fund’ that could be used to negotiate the
service chiefs' retirement. He said he planned to approach the UK and
Germany with the same request."The US cable said Washington believed the
service chiefs could not defy Mugabe if he personally wanted to implement
terms of the power-sharing pact that also calls for security sector
reforms."While no doubt there are hardliners, including the service chiefs
close to Mugabe who are pressuring him not to further implement the GPA, we
continue to believe he could make concessions should he choose to do so,"
says the US cable.

Election
rigging was exposed by internet – Gordon Brown

HARARE - Robert Mugabe’s theft of
the 2008 presidential vote was quicklyexposed because of the internet,
former British Prime Minister GordonBrown has said.Interviewed Friday
on CNN’s Piers Morgan Tonight programme, Brownwarned that with further
growth of internet access for people underoppressive regimes, dictators like
Mugabe would soon face the fullwrath of their own people, as is happening in
North Africa.“It’s because of the internet that we knew about the flawed
electionsin Zimbabwe,” Brown said, adding: “What will happen over the years
isthat social organisations will emerge from the floor.”Brown said
‘elite leaders’, meaning dictators, could no longer restcomfortably while
suppressing the wishes of their people as localonline protest actions now
quickly turned into “worldwide campaigns”.“It will change the way we see the
world,” Brown said.Brown was at the helm in Britain in 2008 when Zimbabwe’s
post-electioncrisis exploded, triggered by Mugabe and the army’s alleged
tinkeringwith results of the first round of voting in which then
oppositionMDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai was the clear winner.Britain,
which has thousands of its nationals and private companies inZimbabwe was
quickly drawn into the conflict as it mobilized otherWestern nations to act
against Mugabe. Pro-democracy activists usedthe internet successfully to
publish horrific pictures of murdered andmutilated MDC-T supporters. The
images shocked the world when theywere flashed around the world by
international news networks.

Mugabe
acting like Smith: Coltart

HARARE - A cabinet minister has likened President Robert
Mugabe’s unilateral push to have elections this year to ruthless colonial
leader Ian Smith’s unilateral declaration of independence (UDI) in
1965.

David Coltart, the education minister, said Mugabe and his
military backers’ election rally could return Zimbabwe into a pariah state
in the same manner Smith did when he broke ranks with Britain under his UDI
call.

“If Mugabe calls for elections this year against the wishes of Sadc
and the rest of the world, he will be just acting like Ian Smith who thought
that he would declare Zimbabwe an independent country without the concert of
others partners,” he said.

Coltart, a top ranking official of
Welshman Ncube’s MDC party represented several liberation war heroes who
were under attack from Smith during the UDI era.

He told a public
meeting on elections on Thursday night that it was “foolish” and
“premature” to talk about elections now because the process of holding free
and fair elections was yet to be achieved.

“We have at least ten steps
which are outlined in the Global Political Agreement talking about the
roadmap to hold free and fair elections and it is unfortunate that we have
only completed three of them. So I don’t see any sense in us talking about
elections,” he said.

Political analyst Trevor Maisiri told the same
meeting that Mugabe’s Zanu PF party was creating its own crisis by
attempting to call for elections against the wishes of the region, who were
the overseers of the power sharing agreement reached by the three main
political parties.

The African Union in June 2008 mandated Sadc with
overseeing the formation of a coalition government and creation of
conditions for a fresh free election after rejecting a violent presidential
election runoff held that same year.“Sadc is likely to hold on its
stance because they would like to avoid the challenge it facedin 2008,” said
Maisiri.

He said that Sadc was likely to take a tough stance against
Mugabe if he went ahead with a unilateral call for elections before the
adoption of a clear roadmap being supervised by regionally-appointed
mediator, South African President Jacob Zuma.

“More so, Sadc is South
Africa and in this case South Africa is fighting its legacy in conflict
resolution and its glory and position in mediation considering that they
have not done much in other missions in Africa,” said
Maisiri.

Douglas Mwonzora, the MDC spokesperson said it was
“suicidal” for Mugabe to go it alone.

“It is not about fearing Zuma
as other people in Zanu PF would by listening to what he advices but it is
about respecting him and his position in our case as a guarantor to this
GPA. We should not fight against other heads of states,”

“If Mugabe
tries to go it alone it will be suicidal and the consequences are so huge
such that it will not affect not only Zimbabwe but even other countries
close to us,” said Mwonzora.

Maisiri said Zanu PF had realised that South
Africa held sway within Sadc hence the moves to frustrate Zuma.

Mliswa
acquitted

HARARE - Businessman and former fitness trainer turned
commercial farmer, Temba Mliswa, has been acquitted of charges of
intimidation and contravening the Post and Telecommunications Services
Act.

Mliswa was yesterday cleared of the charges by regional
magistrate Morgan Nemadire, who described complainant Paul Westwood’s
allegations of fear as “figments of imagination”.

Charges against
Mliswa arose in December 2009, when he allegedly forced Westwood to hand
over his firm.

The State alleged that Mliswa approached Westwood at
Noshio Motors in Msasa, a company Westwood co-owned with one Banda and
induced fear in him so that he would hand over the firm.

Westwood
told the court that Mliswa had sent him a message which he interpreted as a
threat to him and his family.

“I believed he was going to hurt me if I
was not going to cede my company,” he said.

Mliswa denied the
charges, saying that when he approached Westwood he wanted to introduce
himself to the businessman and his employees since he had acquired shares
that belonged to Banda.

In his judgment, magistrate Nemadire pointed out
that the state had completely failed to prove a prima facie case against
Mliswa. He said Westwood had a very strong interest in the
matter.

“This is a scenario of the boxing match where each party fights
to win. The fact that this was a single witness and is the sole proof that
we have against the accused creates a scarcity of evidence.

“There
would have been a compelling need for corroborating Westwood’s evidence,”
the magistrate said.

He said Westwood’s evidence was unreliable
considering that none of the three witnesses that testified in court
corroborated his evidence.

“The evidence of the three witnesses who were
like defence witnesses, was similar on the material dispute of facts. They
never heard accused (Mliswa) threatening Westwood but instead he urged
employees not to meddle in administration and managerial issues,” said
Nemadire.

In a statement to court, one of Westwood’s employees, Naison
Mudukuti had stated that: “Mr Mliswa introduced himself to us and went on to
say that he had bought 50 percent company shares which belonged to Mr Banda
and that the remaining shares still belonged to Mr Westwood.”

Samuel
Mukupe and Wonder Rwatirera, who are both employees of Noshio Motors, echoed
Mudukuti’s sentiments. They explained that Mliswa had told them that he was
going to be one of the directors and expected to have a good working
relationship with the rest of them.

De
Beers unaware of ‘expert’ panel

HARARE - Diamond mining giant De Beers said it has not yet
been approached for a comment and is therefore unaware of an ‘expert’panel
set up by the Zimbabwean government to probe alleged looting of diamonds by
the company.

Zimbabwe's Mines Ministry announced at the beginning of this
month that an ‘expert’ panel had been set up to investigate the alleged
diamond fraud committed by De Beers when it held prospecting rights in
Marange prior to 2006.

Harare said it would take De Beers to court if
the report by its panel confirmed their suspicions. However, De Beers
spokesperson Lynette Gould said this week: ‘We are not aware of any such
'expert' panel nor have we been approached to comment.’

She said her
company had nothing to hide and was confident it would be cleared of any
wrongdoing by the panel when the investigation commences.

‘We are
confident that should such a panel be convened that they would find
absolutely no wrongdoing on the part of De Beers. By way of background, De
Beers was prospecting in Zimbabwe for around 10 years until it departed in
2006. It carried out prospecting in the Marange area for only two years, all
of which is recorded by the relevant authorities,’ Gould added.

Mines
Minister Obert Mpofu and Deputy Mines Minister Gift Chimanikire say the
South African diamond giant took rough stones from Marange but never
declared their value to the state.

The government officials argue
that De Beers allegedly told Harare that it was looking for Kimberlite pipe
diamonds that required deeper digging than alluvial diamonds. This raised
questions as to how De Beers could have missed stones that artisanal miners
extracted with hoes and hands.

Gould insisted that De Beers' business
model was based on exploring for primary deposits. ‘Marange is a secondary
or alluvial deposit and we thus concluded that it was not appropriate for
our portfolio,’ she said.

Political analysts have said the move by the
Zimbabwean government was an attempt to divert attention from alleged
looting of diamonds from the controversial Marange field by shadowy firms
working in partnership with senior Zanu (PF) officials.

Human rights
organizations have alleged serious abuses by Zimbabwean military units in
control of Marange, and others say millions of diamonds are being smuggled
out to the enrichment of a clique with close ties to President Robert
Mugabe's Zanu (PF) party.

Kimberley
Process Urged To Resolve Zim Diamond Issue

The World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) has called on the
members of the Kimberley Process to resolve their internal disagreements on
the issue of rough diamond exports from Zimbabwe, and without any further
delay take the essential and courageous decision to allow Zimbabwe to export
rough diamonds from all diamond mining areas in the country, including the
controversial Marange fields in the eastern part of the country.

"The
KP, due to the deadlock in its decision-making process and its experts'
ensuing indecision to allow rough diamond exports from Zimbabwe to resume,
is about to cause irreparable damage throughout the entire to supply
pipeline of our industry and trade, and threatens the livelihood of
literally millions of people throughout the internationaldiamond and jewelry
sector " said WFDB President Avi Paz.

Paz emphasized that by
perpetuating the current impasse in its decision making, the KP bears direct
responsibility, not only for the reputational damage done to the diamond and
jewelry sector, but also for a significant part of the economic hardship
that continues to befall the people of Zimbabwe. "In addition, if the KP
remains indecisive on [Zimbabwe], there is a real danger that the relevance
of the KP itself will be at stake," the WFDB president said.Meanwhile,
the WFDB president stressed that along with its strong statement, it had
instructed all WFDB members to continue to follow the KP's and the WFDB's
clear directives not to trade in rough diamonds without the proper KP
certification.

Phoney prison
officer steals keys to Zimbabwe's high security prison

A bogus prison officer stole duplicate
keys to cells at Chikurubi Maximum, Harare Central and Remand prisons. The
Zimbabwe Prison Service (ZPS) has activated its tracking systems amid fears
that the fake officer could free suspects and hard-core criminals from the
holding facilities.

Sources revealed last week that the man, only
identified as Zvoma, approached the ZPS traditional lock and key supplier on
the pretext that the service required fresh stocks.

Posing as the
head of the procurement department, he convinced the supplier. It is
understood he told company officials that payment would be made at
headquarters. On the first occasion, he led the officials to the complex but
subsequently made off with the keys after dumping them in one of the
offices.

He used the same tactic on his second and third outings
after dealing with different members of the firm's staff. On his last
adventure, he marched into the ZPS Mashonaland regional office complex clad
in service uniform.

He drew salutes from low-ranking officers, as he once
again got away with another set of keys. Sources suspect he is a former
officer given his intricate knowledge of procedure.Last week, ZPS
authorities paraded male officers from headquarters and the regional office
in the hope that the company officials would identify the culprit. The
service immediately activated its tracking systems after failing to net him
in the parade. ZPS Mashonaland regional spokesperson Principal Prison
Officer Solomon Mutamba said they had launched a manhunt for "prison
officer" Zvoma.

"Well, we are on high alert at both our offices and jails
in Mashonaland since we do not know what he will do with the keys," he
said."Maybe he has plans to become a supplier of keys or he has other cruel
intentions like selling them to other people who can free their
colleagues.

"We are working with the police force on the
matter."

Security breaches have become a major concern to the ZPS in
recent months. Only a month ago, an officer had to be recommended for
psychiatric evaluation after he "promoted" himself.In March, a female
prison officer was transferred from Harare Central Prison to Chikurubi
Female Prison after she fell in love with an inmate.

Apostolic
sect members grab over 100 cattle

HARARE - Members of the Johanne
Marange apostolic sect who have invaded one of the country’s biggest dairy
farms have forcibly grabbed over 100 cattle belonging to the farm’s owner,
Francis Kotze.

A Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) official told the
Daily News yesterday that the apostolic sect members, reinforced by Zanu PF
youths, had disrupted operations at Spillemeer Farm in Chipinge.

The
official said the apostolic faith members ordered Kotze to remove a drove of
pigs claiming the presence of the animals ran contrary to their religious
beliefs. They however, demanded that he slaughter several sheep to feed
them. They declared the cattle as theirs, the CFU official said. They are
now milking the cattle themselves.

“The invaders have also looted his
property and are demanding him to slaughter sheep for their meat. His
workers are also being threatened with violence as they are supporting
Kotze,” said the CFU.

Police, the CFU said, had refused to intervene,
claiming the matter was political.

The apostolic faith members,
donning their famous white robes, invaded Spillemeer farm on Tuesday. They
claimed to have an offer letter from government granting them ownership of
the farm.

Kotze was one of the few whites remaining in the farming
business following the violent takeover of farms under the land reform
programme that began in 2000.

How
Zanu-PF plans to steal the Zimbabwe elections

Despite clear and binding international agreements to the
contrary, evidence now available shows that President Robert Mugabe's ruling
Zanu-PF is again planning to steal the next elections with the help of a
grossly rigged electoral register.

After the 2008 elections, in which
the opposition Movement for Democratic Change won a parliamentary majority
but in which the MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, was forced to withdraw from
the ensuing presidential election due to the overwhelming level of
government-orchestrated violence, Zimbabwe's neighbours in the Southern
African Development Community (SADC) stitched together a deal, the Global
Political Agreement, which saw Mugabe remain as President with Tsvangirai as
Prime Minister and a commitment to a new constitution with free and fair
elections.

In terms of the GPA the constitution has to be passed by a
popular referendum before elections can take place, probably around June
2012. But, of course, the new register is thus fundamental to both the
referendum and the elections - for parliament and President.

In all
previous elections the electoral register has been a major source of
controversy. Drawn up by Tobaiwa Mudede, an outspoken Zanu-PF supporter, it
was notoriously full of dead and fictional voters - who always voted
Zanu-PF. Mudede regarded the register as a state secret and defied all court
orders to make it available to the press or opposition parties.

When
an NGO did finally procure a copy in 2002, it was found to contain at least
twice as many voters as was plausible. Despite that, the supposedly
independent Zimbabwe Election Commission (ZEC) - in fact stuffed with
government supporters - never upheld any complaints about the
register.

With this unhappy history in mind SADC insisted that a wholly
new voters' roll be drawn up and that all the personnel of ZEC be changed to
allow a properly independent commission to be constituted. These changes
were then confirmed by the Zimbabwean parliament.

In fact all this
has been illegally set aside by ZEC. Mudede, though rising 70 and way past
retirement age, has been retained as Registrar-General - clearly for
political reasons. Similarly, several of the old ZEC members have, despite
the stipulations of the GPA, been re-appointed to the new ZEC.

Under
their guidance the ZEC has agreed not to do as SADC and Parliament
determined but simply to keep the old, discredited register and add new
names to it. The results are grotesque. Although the new roll is a closely
guarded secret I have managed to gain sight of a copy.

The first
notable fact is that an impossible 5,727,902 voters were registered on the
2008 register. Given that over four million Zimbabweans have fled Mugabe's
rule, most analysts now believe Zimbabwe's population has fallen to between
8 and 10 million. Even if the 10 million figure is preferred, 60% of the
population is aged under 18 and all previous surveys show a maximum 80%
voter registration rate.

So the maximum possible number on the voters'
roll should be 3.2m. So the 2008 register had at least 2.5m too many voters
on it - more than enough to settle any election. Thus the (illegal) decision
to retain the old 2008 register as a baseline has fatal
consequences.

However, Mudede has now added another 366,550 new voters -
a remarkable figure given that Zimbabwe's population is shrinking. Moreover,
these are not all young voters coming of age. Although Zimbabwe's average
life expectancy is now down to 44.8 years, an astonishing 33,206 of these
new voters are aged 50-70, and another 16,649 are over 70.

Even more
remarkable, 1418 are over 100, although everyone knows that the famines and
hardships of recent years have carried off most of the old. Oddly, although
it is legally required for all voters to give a valid address, quite a few
names on the roll lack one. There are also hundreds of under-age persons
registered, some of them as young as two or three years old.

It is
also striking that these anomalies are by no means evenly distributed across
all constituencies. Instead they are concentrated in seats where Zanu-PF
feels under threat. Thus in Mount Darwin East one finds 118 voters aged over
100, the majority of them all born on the same day, 1 January 1901. Another
nine 96 year olds are all born on 1 January 1905 and 25 further 91 year olds
are all born on 1 January 1910.

Once one looks at the new register as a
whole one finds there are no less than 16,828 voters all born on the same
day, 1 January 1901. Such a concentration of 110 year olds with identical
birthdays is no doubt a planetary record. Even more remarkable, though, no
less than 1101 of these are concentrated in Mugabe's birthplace, Zvimba,
which, no doubt, will help to guarantee a pleasing election result
there.

All told the register includes 41,119 voters aged over 100. Yet in
Britain, with a population more than five times the size of Zimbabwe and
with an enormously higher life expectancy, there are only 10,000 people aged
over 100. It seems clear that Mudede has only arrived at such absurd figures
by systematically failing to remove dead voters from the rolls.

What
is clear enough of Zimbabwe's 41,119 centenarians is that if they ever
really existed they doubtless died long ago. It is also interesting to note
that 18,525 voters are listed merely as being attached to "housing
co-operative" associations without any proper address. Such phantom voters
vote early and often in Zimbabwe. There is a notable concentration of such
address-less voters in Harare North which helped Zanu-PF evict the MDC MP
Trudy Stevenson from the seat in 2008.

I will publish a full report
on the voters' roll under the auspices of the South African Institute of
Race Relations, together with supporting documentation. President Zuma has
acted well on this matter so far, insisting that Mugabe be held to the terms
of the Global Political Agreement (GPA), to Mugabe's vocal
irritation.

However, this new data on the voters' roll makes it crystal
clear that Mugabe intends to subvert the GPA and cheat his way back to power
again. If President Zuma and his SADC colleagues are serious, they can
prevent this. The agreement to free and fair elections with a new voters'
roll was part of the Global Political Agreement which Mugabe personally
signed. SADC is due to meet to consider the situation on May 20 in Windhoek,
Namibia.

The revelation that
Britain is harbouring a CIO torturer has caused outrage beyond the Vigil’s
expectations when we reported on the scandal in last week’s diary. The press
have been besieging Phillip Machemedze’s house in Wales (provided at public
expense). Anger at the ridiculous decision to allow him to stay in the UK is
unlikely to flag, given the gruesome possibility that it could further open the
door to any torturer in the world to find haven in Britain under crazy human
rights legislation which seems to support the perpetrator of abuses rather than
the victim.

The Vigil cannot
understand the decision of the immigration judge not to send Machemedze back to
Zimbabwe ‘because he might face ill-treatment there’. To Zimbabweans who have
fled to the UK to escape persecution from people like him, his very presence
here among us is a threat. It reminds us of the swaggering presence of Zanu PF
murderers at home enjoying immunity from prosecution.

We cannot understand
why Machemedze cannot be tried here in Britain under international laws against
human rights violators. After all, he has admitted committing atrocities
‘too gruesome to recount’. Otherwise he should be sent to the Hague for trial by
the International Criminal Court. A third possibility is that any of his victims
who may be in the UK should sue him in the British courts – though they will
have to face the dispiriting prospect that he will have funds from British
taxpayers to support his case through interminable levels of appeals . .
.

As it is, it appears
that Machemedze has been breaking British law. Police are said to be
investigating allegations that he illegally obtained work here by deception –
appropriately enough as a ‘care worker’! It’s not clear whether he was equipped
with the pliers he said he had used to pull out the teeth of an MDC supporter
after he had broken his jaw (http://www.zimbabwesituation.com/may29_2011.html#Z4).

What is galling to
people at the Vigil who have been forced to leave our country is that someone
like him should be allowed to live here when so many of us are facing
deportation back to Zimbabwe. Who will be allowed in next to be plugged into the
British welfare system – Robert Mugabe? For a view of this case from Zimbabwe
read Cathy Buckle’s latest letter (http://www.cathybuckle.com/index.php?id=40).

On the subject of
torture, the Vigil has again been invited to play a prominent part by providing
the music for the annual service for Zimbabwean victims of torture organized by
the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum at 2 pm on Sunday, 26th June (the
UN international day in support of victims of torture) at Wesley’s Chapel and
Leysian Mission, 49 City Road, London. Speakers are Irene Petras of the Zimbabwe
Lawyers for Human Rights and Kudakwashe Chitsike of the Research and Advocacy
Unit (Zimbabwe). For more details check ‘Events and
Notices’.

The Vigil was glad to
have many Spanish people signing our petitions. They were in London for the big
football match between Barcelona and Manchester United at Wembley. We were glad
they were so supportive and wish them a speedy recovery from their
hangovers!

·The Restoration of
Human Rights in Zimbabwe (ROHR) is the Vigil’s
partner organisation based in Zimbabwe. ROHR grew out of the need for the Vigil
to have an organisation on the ground in Zimbabwe which reflected the Vigil’s
mission statement in a practical way. ROHR in the UK actively fundraises through
membership subscriptions, events, sales etc to support the activities of ROHR in
Zimbabwe.

·ZBN News.
The
Vigil management team wish to make it clear that the Zimbabwe Vigil is not
responsible for Zimbabwe Broadcasting Network News (ZBN News). We are happy that
they attend our activities and provide television coverage but we have no
control over them. All enquiries about ZBN News should be addressed to ZBN
News.

·Lecture:
A Shadow of Its Former Self: Robert Mugabe and Zimbabwe's Education System.
Thursday
9th June 6 pm. Venue: Alumni Theatre, New Academic Building, Lower
Ground Floor (LG.09), London School of Economics, Houghton Street, London WC2A
2AE. The speaker is Peter Godwin, award-winning foreign correspondent, author,
documentary-maker and screen writer. Chaired by Baroness Bonham Carter. The
event is organized by Council for Assisting Refugee Academics (CARA) and the LSE
Africa Initiative. The lecture is followed by a reception (7.30pm - 9.00pm): NAB
8th Floor. RSVP: zimbabwe.cara@lsbu.ac.uk. Admission free
but donations welcomed on the door towards CARA's work supporting Zimbabwean
academics and the re-building of the country's higher education system.

·Service of Solidarity
with Zimbabwe’s torture victims:
Sunday 26th June from 2 – 4 pm. Venue: Wesley’s Chapel and
Leysian Mission, 49 City Road, London EC1Y 1AU (nearest tube: Old Street). The
event is organized by the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum (www.hrforumzim.com). Speakers are Irene
Petras, Director of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights and Kudakwashe
Chitsike, Lawyer in the Women’s Department of the Research and Advocacy Unit
(Zimbabwe). Vigil supporters will be providing the music in the form of
Zimbabwean hymns.

·‘Through the
Darkness’, Judith Todd’s
acclaimed account of the rise of Mugabe. To receive a copy by post in the UK
please email confirmation of your order and postal address to
ngwenyasr@yahoo.co.uk and send a cheque for £10 payable to “Budiriro Trust” to
Emily Chadburn, 15 Burners Close, Burgess Hill, West Sussex RH15 0QA. All
proceeds go to the Budiriro Trust which provides bursaries to needy A Level
students in Zimbabwe.

·Workshops aiming to
engage African men on HIV testing and other sexual health issues. Organised by the
Terrence Higgins Trust (www.tht.org.uk). Please contact the
co-ordinator Takudzwa Mukiwa (takudzwa.mukiwa@tht.org.uk) if you are
interested in taking part.

Vigil
Co-ordinators

The Vigil, outside
the Zimbabwe Embassy, 429 Strand, London, takes place every Saturday from 14.00
to 18.00 to protest against gross violations of human rights in Zimbabwe. The
Vigil which started in October 2002 will continue until
internationally-monitored, free and fair elections are held in Zimbabwe: http://www.zimvigil.co.uk